Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier announces guidelines for guests planning a visit to the Park.

Recent Information

On January 10th, the City of Santa Monica announced updated hours for the Santa Monica Pier and discourages visitors from crowding on the Pier. The Pier will be open on weekdays only for limited hours for walking and fresh air. Some businesses will be open with limited hours. LA County residents and visitors are encouraged to stay home and only go out for essential activities such as picking up food.

The Santa Monica Pier is open but with limited hours. The rides at Pacific Park, including the world-famous Pacific Wheel, remain closed. The Pier has returned to the “limited” phase of the reopening plan; hours may vary and certain entrances may be closed or limited at the direction of the City of Santa Monica’s public safety team. Pacific Park is implementing procedures advised by IAAPA’s “Reopening Guidance: Considerations for the Attractions Industry” to limit guests’ potential exposure to public-use surfaces and each other. These measures are aimed at preventing inadvertent transmission of COVID-19.

Efforts to ensure the health and safety of our guests and employees include the following:

• Guests and employees are being asked to stay home if they are experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness
• Guests who have been advised to self-quarantine or are considered high-risk to COVID-19 infection should not visit the Pier
• While on the Pier, guests will be asked to keep at least 6 feet between parties
• The Park has enhanced our already-stringent cleaning protocols considering the COVID-19 pandemic
• Hand washing stations and hand sanitizer will be available to guests throughout the Park
• Areas of the Park, including some rides and games, may be closed for periodic cleaning o operated for limited times to reduce the Park’s capacity

For the safety of all our guest and team members, we have increased all health and safety measures at the Pacific Park. Guests are expected to follow all posted instructions and instructions given by our team members during their visit. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local health departments advise that older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. There is an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 while in any public place where people are present. By visiting the Pacific Park, you are voluntarily assuming all risks related to exposure to COVID-19.

The reopening strategies being implemented at Pacific Park align with the practices of other businesses reopening in this stage and the best practices of other amusement parks and attractions reopening globally.

During this limited operational phase, Pacific Park will offer access to a limited number of games and attractions to a limited number of guests on the Pier as regulated by the City of Santa Monica. The Park’s hours are expected to change daily and the current operating schedule can be found online at pacpark.com/hours.

For more information about what to expect when you visit the Pier during this limited operational phase, read about the Pier’s reopening plan here.

Past News and information

The Santa Monica Pier Temporarily Closed Amid Concerns over the Coronavirus

On Sunday, March 15, the City of Santa Monica made the unprecedented decision to close the Pier amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

At all levels of the government, authorities passed sweeping measures to limit peoples’ potential exposure to the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. The virus is a respiratory illness that can spread from person to person. The virus was first identified during an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China. The virus quickly spread from China to Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.

By the end of March, there were over 85,000 individuals in the United States who contracted the virus; 1,400 of those lived in Los Angeles County. Although the number seems relatively low for a state of over 40 million residents, government officials began enacting measures to prevent widespread infection that was experienced in countries like Italy and Spain. Preventative measures included the temporary closure of public places where people could potentially spread the virus like schools, restaurants, and entertainment destinations including the Santa Monica Pier.

The Pier was reopened to the public on June 24th with limited hours and a limit on the number of guests allowed on the Pier. Only certain businesses were permitted to reopen including restaurants and retail shops with outdoor seating.

Although the Pier has been standing over the waters of the Pacific for over 110 years, it has not always been a popular entertainment destination. However, for much of its operational life, the Pier has been home to various entertainment facilities including the famed LaMonica Ballroom, wooden roller coaster called the Blue Streak, and the Looff Hippodrome which still stands to this day. Over the decades the Pier has been closed to the public on numerous occasions for repairs and maintenance. On occasion, the City, Harbor Patrol and Lifeguards have made the decision to close parts or all of the Pier for safety reasons including severe weather.

Santa Monica Pier was not alone in these public closures. Other California retail and entertainment destinations, amusement parks, and retail outlets closed amid concerns over the spread of the coronavirus. On Saturday March 7^th, Disneyland closed it gates to the public for only the 3^rd time in the park’s history. Universal Studios, Six Flags Magic Mountain, and Legoland all followed as local and state officials continued to place restrictions on public gatherings, food service delivery, and large events.

Resources

For guests seeking more information about COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides guidelines and information on their website at http://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus This site includes up-to-date information about the number of cases, measures you can take to reduce the chance of contracting the virus, and a guide for helping determine if you might have become infected.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has also launched a micro-site with regularly updated information about the outbreak, including a summary of cases in LA County. Their site, http://www.publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus includes many resources for residents, healthcare professionals and businesses dealing with the threat of outbreak.

Closer to the Pier, the City of Santa Monica amassed resources and information at http://www.santamonica.gov/coronavirus. Their site includes updates, City communications, and ordinances for Santa Monica residents and visitors.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA), of which Pacific Park is a member, has collected resources and information specific to amusement park operators on their site, http://www.iaapa.org. As an international organization, IAAPA was able to share best practices from amusement parks affected by the outbreak early on in China and Italy to amusement parks in the United States, including Pacific Park.

This post was updated January 10th, 2021